A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Venezuela at the 2020 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| IOC code | VEN |
| NOC | Venezuelan Olympic Committee |
| Website | cov |
| in Tokyo, Japan July 23, 2021 – August 8, 2021 | |
| Competitors | 44 in 14 sports |
| Flag bearer (opening) | Antonio Díaz[a] |
| Flag bearer (closing) | Antonio Díaz |
| Medals Ranked 46th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Venezuela competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] It was the nation's nineteenth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics.
With four medals, including a gold, the 2020 Games was Venezuela's best performance in its participation history. Triple jumper Yulimar Rojas broke the women's world record with a 15.67 m (51 ft 4+3⁄4 in) jump. Veteran freestyle BMX cyclist Daniel Dhers, who helped get the sport into the Olympic Games, took a silver medal in the event at its debut. Another two silver medals were won in weightlifting categories, by Julio Mayora and Keydomar Vallenilla; all Venezuela's weightlifters achieved top eight finishes.
Though road cyclist Orluis Aular led for much of his race, he had to retire shortly before the end. Venezuelan boxing and fencing under-performed, with 2016 boxing silver medalist Yoel Finol and 2012 fencing gold medalist Rubén Limardo both losing their first matches.
Administration
In 2019, Venezuelan Olympic Committee (COV) president Eduardo Álvarez set the nation's 2020 Summer Olympics targets. They aimed to have between 60 and 70 athletes competing, and to win 20 Olympic diplomas (awarded to the top 8 in each event).[3]
The COV also co-hosted the karate referee training course in 2019, in anticipation of the sport premiering at the 2020 Games and following new rules being implemented in both kata and kumite disciplines.[4] In July 2020, the COV formed a working group to re-organize the Americas boxing qualifying event, which had been due to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, earlier that year but was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic event restrictions.[5]
In December 2020, the COV held X Session, which "aims to reinforce Olympic values." The COV and Venezuelan Olympic Academy have held X Sessions in previous years, usually taking place over three days. The 2020 event was condensed to one day to limit social interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was attended, either in-person or virtually, by delegates from around the world. The matters of Olympism, particularly anti-doping in sports, were discussed in presentations to spread sport education.[6]
During the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, the COV has suffered financially. The Venezuelan boxer Eldric Sella, who had asylum in Trinidad and Tobago, competed at the 2020 Games with the Refugee Olympic Team. He had been dropped from the Venezuelan team in 2014 due to lack of resources, and left the country in 2018. Despite not competing for Venezuela, and going out in his first match, his perseverance to make it to the Olympics while living as a refugee was said to be inspiring to his compatriots, many of whom are also refugees abroad.[7]
Medalists
In terms of medals, the 2020 Games was Venezuela's best performance in its participation history, receiving one gold and three silver medals,[8] as well as six diplomas.[9] In Venezuela, controversy arose over statements made by the medalists in supervised calls to president Nicolás Maduro.[10][11] Political scientists have noted that the Venezuelan government used Olympic success as a form of propaganda.[12]
Venezuela's first medal of the Games was won by weightlifter Julio Mayora on 28 July, taking the silver medal in the men's 73 kg category and dedicating it to late president Hugo Chávez, who had been born on 28 July.[13] Noticiero Digital reported that in the video featuring the dedication to Chávez, Venezuelan Youth and Sport Minister Mervin Maldonado can be heard in the background instructing Mayora to say it.[14] Mayora's silver is Venezuela's second weightlifting medal after Israel Rubio's bronze at Athens 2004.[15] The Caracas Chronicles reported that Mayora, who still lives in Venezuela though trains in the Dominican Republic, told friends that the best part about winning the medal is that he can now claim a better house for his mother from the government.[11]
Mayora was attacked on social media in Venezuela for the dedication. The next day, president Nicolás Maduro took to national television to defend Mayora as a patriot and say that the nation's sporting "generation of gold" started with Chávez.[12] El Pitazo interviewed Venezuelan Olympic cyclist Daniel Dhers about the controversy, with Dhers saying that regardless of politics, everyone is at the Games for Venezuela.[16] Prior to the controversy, Juan Guaidó had congratulated Mayora on the win.[15] Caracas Chronicles condemned how quickly people turned from praising a medalist to hating him because of the video,[11] while El País noted that outside of the Twitter vitriol Mayora's dedication was "generally tolerated and understood".[8]
On 31 July, Keydomar Vallenilla took another weightlifting silver medal, in the men's 96 kg category,[17] and on 1 August, Daniel Dhers won the men's BMX freestyle silver medal, in its Olympic debut.[18] Later in the day,[19] Yulimar Rojas won the gold medal in women's triple jump. She is Venezuela's first female Olympic gold medalist, and also Venezuela's first athletics gold and third gold medal overall.[20][21] It is Venezuela's third medal in the triple jump, following Rojas' silver at Rio 2016 and Asnoldo Devonish's bronze at Helsinki 1952, which was also Venezuela's first-ever Olympic medal.[22]
Each of the medalists was obliged to speak with and thank Maduro under supervision of Venezuelan officials shortly after their wins,[8][10] with the calls (which were filmed) shared on official channels in Venezuela. In Rojas' call, Maduro called her "the queen of Tokyo".[23] He later shared a message on Twitter lauding the athlete: "warrior, you shine with your own light, you are a faithful reflection of the fighting spirit and greatness of the Venezuelan people." Guaidó also celebrated that she had literally gone further than anyone before.[8] El Nacional noted that the athletes have faced criticism at home for praising Maduro in the calls. In an opinion column, it acknowledged the statements were "guided if not forced" and that the athletes would be concerned for family in Venezuela, but said that Krystsina Tsimanouskaya had more dignity in criticizing her nation.[10]
